Cringle

	“Huh… I mean… I guess you could call it Christmas themed.” With that, a rather tired-looking girl leans back against the nearby wall, her hand quietly coming up to wipe the sweat from her brow - she had just managed to finish setting up the rather ornate-looking (and now glowing) christmas tree to her right just moments earlier, and she was finally able to take a break for once. With that, she raises her arms above her head before a sharp “POP!” sound echoes out from her lower back, a wave of relaxation quietly following a moment or two later.
	“Nnh… there we go… alright… Now what…?” With that, her brows furrow for a moment or two, her thoughts starting to roil around in her head - she had bought that tree on a whim when she first signed her lease for the place, since it was so close to Christmas and all, but now that it was up, she honestly didn’t know what to do with it. Her gaze ends up fixing itself onto one of the numerous lights that were dangling from its plastic-and-metal branches, the dull bulbs glowing in her vision reflecting back into her eyes before she shakes her thoughts away from her head.
	“Buh… Where the hell are Axl and Colin…? They were supposed to be here by now, weren’t they?” With that, she quietly pushes herself up from her spot on the floor, and steps her way toward the front door to her (relatively small) place, each one of her footfalls reverberating into the empty room behind her. Once she reaches the door, she wraps her digits around that cool metal before twisting it to the right and pulling the door open, her head peeking its way out into the hallway a split second later.
	Though, instead of the twenty-year-old carpet and the needs-to-be-updated hallway, the first thing that fills her vision was a pair of boys, each one of them dressed in a too-fluffy jacket and a knit-wool cap dusted with snow.
	“Hey, Beat! There you are!”
	“Just in time. Thought I was gonna lose you two to the snow or something. Come on in, I’ll get something warm or something ready.” And with that, the girl leans her way back into her new home, her form hesitantly slinking its way back toward her kitchenette - just as she makes her way in, a small beeping noise meets her ears, causing a soft smile to worm its way across her face. “You two want some coffee?”
	“Depends, you still drink it straight? No creamer? Vanilla? Whipped cream?”
	“You know that ruins it for me. Besides, creamer’s expensive, anyway.” With that, the girl quietly crosses the room, and pours herself a fresh cup of coffee, a small sigh escaping her after taking a sip. “Oh, uh… Merry Christmas, I guess. Too early?”
	“Nah, nah. Got you a present, though.”
	“Heh… y’all’re my present, y’know.” With that, she sinks against the counter, a soft smile on her face.